This invention relates to interactive television applications, and more particularly to cross-platform predictive popularity ratings for use in interactive television applications.
An interactive television application may be configured to provide a number of interactive features, such as television program listings, pay-per-view services, video-on-demand services, web browsing services, games, home shopping, and other interactive features, to the user. Within the interactive television application, an interactive television program guide may allow users to view screens of program listings, browse or search for programs or content, and receive information related to the programs or content.
Interactive television applications may be implemented in many different types of platforms. As defined herein, a platform refers to any system that can support the operation of an interactive television application. Typical examples of platforms include, for example, television equipment (e.g., set-top boxes, digital video recorders, televisions, etc.), personal computers (e.g., desktop computers, notebook computers), mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), BlackBerrys™, and various other electronic devices. Some of these platforms support the operation of online interactive applications over an Internet communications link, a public network, a global communications network, or any other suitable networks or links for accessing online interactive application data and content (e.g., using interactive television web pages). These platforms may be collectively referred to as online interactive application platforms. Some platforms may provide the functionality of multiple platforms within a single device. For example, a hybrid device (e.g., a web-tv device) may function as a television equipment platform and an online interactive application platform. As defined herein, individual systems that provide hybrid or multi-platform functionality may be considered as having multiple platforms within one system.
Given the wide disparity in platforms, it is understood that each platform may provide different advantages and disadvantages, largely dependent on design factors such as the interactive application to be used, the hardware design, the software design, and the features provided by each platform. Exemplary interactive applications that may be provided by various platforms include a set-top box based application, an online guide, etc. The hardware design may include factors, such as size, portability, processing power, connectivity, bandwidth, memory, storage capacity, and interface (e.g., type of display screen, type of input device, etc.). The features provided may include audio content, video content, online content, etc. These design factors, taken together, characterize each of the various platforms and influence the nature of their use.
Some platforms (e.g., user television platforms) may be able to support many different or more advanced interactive television application features than other platforms (e.g., mobile phone platforms). However, the other platforms may offer advantages such as convenience even though such platforms may or may not provide as many interactive features. For example, users may find it more convenient to access an interactive television guide using a work computer (e.g., a particular platform) or a PDA (e.g., another platform), rather than use the platform they have at home.
When a user accesses information in an interactive television application, the user may access “actual” popularity ratings information for programs or content listed on a display screen of the user platform. The “actual” popularity ratings information may be determined and distributed to the user platform by an audience measurement system. The audience measurement system may receive “actual” audience measurement data and generate the “actual” popularity ratings information based on that data. The “actual” audience measurement data is limited in that it represents audience sizes for programs based on the number of platforms receiving or actually recording those programs. In addition, the audience measurement systems are limited in that the audience measurement data is typically obtained from interactive applications operating on a particular platform (e.g., a user television platform) and the “actual” popularity ratings information is distributed to interactive applications operating on that same particular platform (e.g., the user television platform).
In some situations, a user may desire to know how popular a particular television program or content is likely to be, thereby potentially influencing the user's decision whether to view the program or content. Known systems, as discussed above, are limited to informing users of the popularity of a program or content during or after the broadcast of the program or content. Moreover, even when the “actual” popularity ratings are provided, such ratings are limited to user monitored interactions with interactive television applications operating on just one type of platform, which may be the same type of platform to which the “actual” popularity ratings are distributed. This approach is too constrictive, especially considering the variety of different types of platforms that provide users with many choices in the particular platform or platforms they wish to use. Accordingly, it would be desirable to obtain a cross-section of user interactions with interactive television applications across platforms to obtain larger data samples, which may, for example, assist in more accurately predicting popularity ratings for various programs and television content.